Have you ever looked at a feature on your phone and wondered why the heck it's there? In an editorial on the topic, All About Symbian takes a look at five functions that are perhaps no longer needed on modern handsets, yet continue to be added to new models. Your comments most welcome - should any or all of these functions be unceremoniously dropped?
Read on in the full article.
Basic phone plus good camera and GPS is all I need. The rest is unnecessary for me, but if I had to name something that was a complete load of dog log, I would say NGAGE.
Don't use infrared myself, but know people that do, many laptops have it built in, and somepeople don't trust bluetooth after all the scaremongering
The radio needs the headphones as an aerial, so rarely gets used.
But my biggest two waste of space features on all of my S60 phones are:
IM, cause no bugger supports it, you can make it work using a 3rd party gateway but it tends to be unreliable.
PTT, no network in the UK supports it, so in the UK at least, pointless
IR on a phone can be useful in the case of psiloc's IRemote.
On the software side, I think MMS can be removed. How many of us did use it and pay big money for our service provider?
I agree on PTT. I have never come across anyone who was using it - mainly because the operators here in India hardly supported it. I guess they wanted people to stick to the traditional call for voice and not loose that revenue.
Other things I can suggest are:
1) Infrared Port - no one uses it now. All prefer either bluetooth or the data cable. Plus IR is the slowest.
2) Lifeblog - Dont think anyone has ever used it
I disagree with most of those points..
1) Nokia should make something like IR Remote built into the phone so that you can control AV equipment..
2) secondary camera originally is meant for video calls which many people do not use simply because of the cost factor. what would resurrect the use of this if IM programs like MSN can use it over WiFi for video conferencing.
3) Dedicated Charging - mainly the fact that USB ampere is too low to be really "decent" in charging anything (you cannot fast charge through USB in comparison to a proper dedicated charger). Yes its good to have a standard "one size fits all", but
yeah.. visual radio needs to go.. not sure about 2.5mm sockets given theres some converters for it.. PTT needs to go too (useless)..
IR is still insanely useful.
Have you ever been to a conference or an expo and wanted to transfer a business card? Have you tried doing it over Bluetooth? If you have, you'll know what a pain in the backside it is. With so many people around, it takes forever for your phone to search for Bluetooth devices. Bluetooth was never designed to be operated with hundreds of other Bluetooth devices in range.
IR is simple and works quickly in these kind of situations.
bchliu wrote:2) secondary camera originally is meant for video calls which many people do not use simply because of the cost factor. what would resurrect the use of this if IM programs like MSN can use it over WiFi for video conferencing.
Brilliant idea, amazed Nokia hasnt seen this yet.
Please lets ignore ALL comments from people who say "I just want my phone to be a phone, I don't want all this camera/GPS/internet/etc [delete as appropriate] nonsense!". This is just sheer idiocy. I don't want my car to have the features of a space shuttle, but a.) I still see some people would want a space shuttle and b.) No one's making me go and buy a space shuttle.
If you don't want a feature on a phone, DON'T BUY A PHONE WITH THAT FEATURE ON ! (Duh).
Thank you.
I don't think videocalling is superfluous. It should however support wifi via some form of nokia chat ;^) For the cash requested for a video call over 3G. No way I am using it! It should also be google-talk-ish standarized proftocol compatible I hope ;^)
I often use IR for file-transfer. Laptops which does not feature BT often has IR. And even if a laptop has both, I often use IR anyway to skip pairing.
As mentioned earlier LIFEBLOG
Kill it, burn it, and nail it to a wall, or at least let me uninstall it 😊
First off, +1 on bchliu's idea of using the secondary camera for IM apps. To be honest, I'm surprised they don't do so already - I'm not aware of anything in the relevant APIs that would prevent a 3rd party app from doing so.
Although I have fond memories of controlling TVs in shop windows using irRemote, I barely use IR and wouldn't miss it if it eventually disappears. For those that still want it, perhaps some clever peripheral company will come along and make a Bluetooth or microUSB IR transmitter that you can connect to your phone.
Also, I totally agree that a microUSB socket is all you need. It's true that there are lots of Nokia chargers out there, but all you need is for someone to make a Nokia-to-USB adaptor cable and you're sorted. They could even bundle it in the box with new phones (just like they did when they introduced the smaller sized Nokia charger plug a few years ago).
The neat thing is that (bog-standard-/mini-/micro-)USB is standardised so any phone or gadget manufacturer can use it (and several already do). Imagine that - some day you might be able to take a single charger with you on holiday and use it to charge all your gadgets!
Having said all that, it's inevitable that people will not always use all the stuff in their phones. People's interests and requirements are too diverse for manufacturers to make perfect phones tailored to each individual. You need to find some kind of best fit. However, I think that's where neat UIs come into play. For example, I think S60's ability to re-arrange the app menus is an incredibly useful (and under-reated) feature. One of the first things I do on a new S60 phone is shift everything around so I get quick, easy access to the stuff I like and hide away the stuff I don't. (I always make a special folder at the bottom which is a dumping ground for useless apps or things I'll use once and then never again like: PTT, Help, About, operator add-ons, Tutorial etc. etc.)
Unregistered wrote:If you don't want a feature on a phone, DON'T BUY A PHONE WITH THAT FEATURE ON ! (Duh).
I do have a good use for the secondary cameras meant for Video. In many models it is possible to turn the secondary camera on without initiating a call. When needed, I turn it on, face the camera and screen and use the viewfinder as a mirror. 😃
cirrus wrote:
Also, I totally agree that a microUSB socket is all you need. It's true that there are lots of Nokia chargers out there, but all you need is for someone to make a Nokia-to-USB adaptor cable and you're sorted. They could even bundle it in the box with new phones (just like they did when they introduced the smaller sized Nokia charger plug a few years ago).
The neat thing is that (bog-standard-/mini-/micro-)USB is standardised so any phone or gadget manufacturer can use it (and several already do).
Plus it's much more robust than the fragile little pin Nokia moved to a few years back.
GREAT post.
I agree on IR, 2.5mm, and the Visual Radio. However, being in the States, I've found a better use for the front-facing camera - MMS photos/videos. It records just the right length, and at decent quality, considering it's going to be sent over MMS. I send little videos all the time to Mrs. Guru, it's greatness.
I've been saying we need some company, ANY company to break video calling free of the carriers and allow us to use it over 3G or WiFi for a long time, but to no avail.
And yes, Dear God PLEASE, dump that stupid little 2mm power plug and move to something....ANYTHING that I'm not liable to break so friggen easily.
No don't get rid of IR! Great remote control for AV equipment. Another point is IR it's multi-platform and the drivers are installed by default so no matter if it's a windows, linux, apple machine I can simply transfer data very easily. Not everyone has bluetooth or have it setup correctly.
Most of my gripes about unnecessary gubbins relate to the OS and UI.
I've never really figured out what that IM app is doing there, because I've never managed to set it up for any of the common IM services, which all seem to have their own mobile clients anyway. Then, of course, there's the ones that could be good but aren't implemented in most countries, like PTT. The GSM interactive services are also expensive old hat; I don't know anybody who uses them, and certainly not on a smartphone where there are better alternatives, so what's it doing there in S60? "My Nokia" was also half-baked from the very start but can't be uninstalled. And yes, Lifeblog was somebody's 'two-point-oh' wet dream and should be removed. I once looked at that 'Presentations' thing that's in Gallery; it seems to be a clever idea but I've never once actually come across standalone .svg files, except as examples; shouldn't it be (/isn't it) just part of the browser?
The general clutter and confusion of S60 is one thing I can't and won't defend from criticism by iPhone fanboys.
Remove IR?
Have you never used IrRemote? That's so incredibly useful!!! 😮
This is certainly an interesting discussion on features of a phone but one factor that is rarely addressed is the problem with one feature that many enterprise users CANNOT have and the fact that there aren't many smart phones designs that are sensitive to that.
That feature is the camera, I work with many companies who have corporate policies against cameras due to security concerns and you'd be hard pressed to find a good and feature laden smart phone that doesn't have a camera and that includes the Nokia E-series phones. Even the "venerable" enterprise mainstay Blackberry's now all have cameras!
If we're going to delve into the UI, There are a TON of things that need to be removed:
1. 3D tones
2. The default bookmarks in the browser (the folders). They're seldom filled with anything, and when they are, it's a single link (I've checked across multiple devices). Why put one link into a folder?
3. Streaming links in the Gallery - does anyone use this, and for what? With Nokia Internet Radio built-in to the newer phones, and Mobbler available, what on earth is this for?
4. What's the difference in 'Music Tracks' and 'Sound Clips'?
just to name a few
LifeBlog is best thing happened to Nokia software in years!
It's just terribly under-marketed. No box stickers, no online ads, no softbutton assignments for quick and direct access.
On PC: How can anyone deny a usefulness to see all the phone's content in one go? Even when the phone is lost (I mean the PC Lifeblog app)? Searchable? Backed-up? No?
On Phone: How can people endure thru tons of clicking to look up thru all new SMS first, then new calls, then new photos taken etc?
LifeBlog is also under-integrated.
Left out are Notes, Sound Recordings, Calls.
If it was developed further it would have been possible to fully backup, transplant, upload, maintain whole digital life of the phone, with help of a PC.
PC Suite vanes in comparison with such possibilities.
PC Lifeblog provides a way for two-way sync of media, for instance - many geeks still crave about that, unknowing.
Heck, this have become a part of Ovi, how can you people denounce it? 😊 even if the removed on-the-phone app, the PC part and sync profiles would still be needed for Ovi Photos. And Photos is just a name change with more featuritis instead of tighter integration.
For more thoughts related pls see my blog http://cubeover.blogspot.com.
@ Ricky:
1. Nah, I like 3D tones. I just had to change my ringtone yesterday because my PHB has bought an iPhoney and set it to one that was very similar to mine. So I chose a really freaky one and set it in 3D ringones to sound like it's in a forest. I'm such an ageing hippy.
2. Hell yes. And you can't get rid of them.
3. Yes, I use streaming RealPlayer links but I don't know what they're doing in Gallery; why not in 'Music'? I have all the BBC live radio feeds (not available in shoutcast atm) set up there, and NASA TV: sometimes I sit in bed watching a live feed of an astronaut fumbling around with a spanner - brilliant.
4. Aren't "sound clips" the ones that you make with "recorder" and "tracks" opens the music app?
Basically, the whole UI needs rationalising, but I didn't go into it in too much depth because the theme of Steve's feature was about old, redundant things. We could spend a week pointing out how S60 needs to be simplified and rationalised.
Visual radio really belongs to a separate topic, one about useless software instead of physical features like other four. There are SO MANY bundled apps that I wish Nokia would just ditch already.
Video call is VERY good if you happen to be out of town. It gives new meaning to phone sex with your partner.
Most of my gripes about unnecessary gubbins relate to the OS and UI.
Just to make clear, this isn't meant to be a "what's wrong with S60" article.
This article is actually about mobile phones in general, regarding features which used to serve a purpose but are now no longer useful. Even Visual Radio isn't an S60 topic really, it's available on cheap Series 40 models too and is platform independent.
Discussing which apps belong in S60 is something for a totally different article, and I think it's been covered quite a lot on AAS anyway.
mainly the fact that USB ampere is too low to be really "decent" in charging anything (you cannot fast charge through USB in comparison to a proper dedicated charger). Yes its good to have a standard "one size fits all", but
Actually you CAN use a dedicated charger with USB ports, the phone I mentioned in the article (the 8600 Luna) comes with a standard Nokia charger that has a microUSB plug on the end instead of the usual 2mm plug. Here's a photo of it:
If you switch to USB charging, you could charge through a computer or a normal mains socket, you would have the option of both. Without USB charging, people are forced to use mains sockets only.
That feature is the camera, I work with many companies who have corporate policies against cameras due to security concerns and you'd be hard pressed to find a good and feature laden smart phone that doesn't have a camera and that includes the Nokia E-series phones.
Most of the Eseries devices do come in non-camera versions for precisely the reasons you specify.
The E61 was only available without a camera, and the E60, E50 and E51 all have cameraless variants, so the devices are out there if people want to buy them.
The variants don't get advertised much though as they don't sell as well as the camera versions.
(Wi-Fi video is a) Brilliant idea, amazed Nokia hasnt seen this yet.
It is a really good idea, and Nokia do actually have it on their internet tablets, but officially it only works with Google Talk (and unofficially with Gizmo, but that's a tiny bit trickier to get working for the average user). Anyway, I've used it with GT and it is really great, I had some relatives in another country show me round their house which was pretty much the next best thing to being there. But alas it's only tablet-to-tablet, which severely limits its audience.
If they could put an easy to use wi-fi Skype video client on S60, including compatibility with Skype webcams on PCs and other devices, that would be a killer app right there. The hardware to use it would already be present on many many Nokia devices, all they'd have to do is offer it as a download and start integrating it into firmware.
Mark_au wrote:Video call is VERY good if you happen to be out of town. It gives new meaning to phone sex with your partner.
Yes but at 50p per minute ill stick to 30s videos that cost nothing to send. Video Calling doesent get used because it comes at such a highly insane cost.
All the UK Networks originally had it coming out of your free/inclusive minutes and being a gimmick thing people used it to try it. Then they ended thier promotions the mooing began and they put outrageously high charges to use it so nobody does.
If I get a video call its nearly always in an inconveniate time when im getting out of the car etc and I don't particually want the caller to see my work swept face so you end up "arranging" video calls which beats the whole point of calling someone.
Unregistered wrote:Please lets ignore ALL comments from people who say "I just want my phone to be a phone, I don't want all this camera/GPS/internet/etc [delete as appropriate] nonsense!". This is just sheer idiocy. I don't want my car to have the features of a space shuttle, but a.) I still see some people would want a space shuttle and b.) No one's making me go and buy a space shuttle.If you don't want a feature on a phone, DON'T BUY A PHONE WITH THAT FEATURE ON ! (Duh).
Thank you.
This has to win stupid post of the year by a good distance.
Unless the poster can name the phones that come with discrete features only.
PS, NASA are retiring the space shuttle in 2010. Seems even they don't need one.